Director of Campus Safety discusses recent library bomb threat

Jackson Plaza and the Mark O. Hatfield Library blocked by cones as officials search the area on Sept. 30, 2025. Photo by Skeet Starr.

On Tuesday, Sept. 30, Willamette University received an anonymous bomb threat to the Willamette libraries. 

The Salem Reporter reported that Willamette staff received the bomb threat at 8:40 a.m. to a university email. In an interview with The Collegian, Executive Director of Campus Safety AJ Christensen specified that the threat came through the Bearcat admissions office. 

Other universities, including Nazareth University and Rochester Institute of Technology, reported similar bomb threats Sept. 30. WXXI News disclosed that students received text messages warning of a bomb threat, which authorities believe is part of a larger social media trend. Christensen had limited information about other universities' bomb threats and could not comment on them. 

Willamette & PNCA Crime And Fire Log reported the incident at 8:45 a.m. under pending suspicion at the Hatfield Library. 

Students were evacuated soon after campus safety was notified, and the community was alerted through email at 9:29 a.m about a threat to the Hatfield Library and the evacuation that had followed; however, further details were not disclosed at that time. The Willamette community received an “all clear” message around 11 a.m., and the Hatfield library reopened. 

Regarding the specificities of the threat, Christensen said, “The threat that we received had a very specific motive, it had a means by which the threat was going to be carried out, it had the location in which the threat was going to occur, and it even had a vehicle which was associated with the threat. So it was very specific.” 

However, as the specific library was not disclosed in the threat email, both Hatfield and J.W. Long Law libraries were searched. The Salem and broader Oregon police departments searched for the vehicle mentioned in the email but were unable to locate it. 

During this time, the FBI was sent the threat as well to investigate, and the Willamette University IT team, Willamette Information Technology Services, has been looking into the data of the email to find potential sourcing. However, there is no further information on the success of these actions.

Christensen said that he, alongside the Salem Police Department and Oregon State Police Department, worked together to ensure the campus’ safety throughout the incident. During the evacuation process — which was extended to around 20 minutes due to a few students occupying the bathrooms — the Hatfield Library was searched. Christensen made the executive decision to search the J.W. Long Law Library as well, which was not evacuated. Nothing was found in either location. 

In the case of the Sept. 30 threat, four lines of action were taken, as Christensen explained. The first line of action was to evacuate. Then, the on-campus safety team alongside local law enforcement came together to ensure neighboring buildings potentially affected by the threat were safe as well, including an external sweep of the University Center to investigate potential suspicious activity. After this investigation, a more thorough sweep of the building was conducted, concluded by the sending out of a timely warning to avoid hysteria whilst informing the community. Once the community was informed, internal work began for the police forces to further investigate the source of the email.

Involving higher authorities, such as the Salem and Oregon state police departments, allows Willamette to gain access to more resources. 

“There is likely one [campus safety] officer on at times,” Christensen said, “whereas a situation like [on Sept. 30], Oregon state police could respond with multiple officers and help clear a building and secure areas, while tracking down the immediate threat to keep everyone safe.” 

Christensen has remained in contact with a sergeant from the Salem Police Department. 

The status of the investigation remains pending, and campus safety continues to collaborate with local, regional and federal authorities on this matter.